Williams County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Williams County has 16,874 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (71 tracts centered in the county), 8 wildlife management areas with 6,990 acres, and 91,574 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 8.4% of the county's 1,374,646 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)BLMCorps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Williams CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,374,646 acres (2,148 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 16,874 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 71 |
| Wildlife management areas | 8, 6,990 acres |
| Other public land | 91,574 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 38,223 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3A1, Deer unit 3B1 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 13A |
| Towns | Williston, Tioga, Ray, Grenora and Alamo |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Williams County?
16,874 acres inside the county line, 1.2% of the county; 71 PLOTS tracts are centered in the county. PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) is private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting through NDGF. The NDGF PLOTS Guide map (2026) shows each tract.
Which wildlife management areas are in Williams County?
8 WMAs, 6,990 acres in all, largest first:
- Trenton WMA: 4,904 acres
- Hofflund WMA: 1,500 acres
- McGregor Dam WMA: 194 acres
- Dry Fork WMA: 161 acres
- Kerr Slough WMA: 89 acres
- Blue Ridge WMA: 85 acres
- Blacktail Dam WMA: 47 acres
- Lewis and Clark WMA: 10 acres
How much public land is in Williams County?
7.2% of the county is public land: 98,563 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is Corps of Engineers, 44,720 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Corps of Engineers | 44,720 | 3.3% |
| State trust land | 38,470 | 2.8% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 16,874 | 1.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 6,989 | 0.5% |
| Waterfowl production area | 4,489 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 3,212 | 0.2% |
| BLM | 659 | under 0.1% |
| National park (no hunting) | 363 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 24 | under 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 7 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 38,223 acres open and 159 acres closed.
Measured by FilledTag inside the Census county line from NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land); overlapping maps are counted once.
Which hunting units are in Williams County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3A1 | 863,408 | 62.8% | 4,000 | 3,713 |
| Deer unit 3B1 | 511,093 | 37.2% | 850 | 2,203 |
| Pronghorn unit 13A | 1,374,339 | 100% | 60 | 1,099 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Williams County?
Highways: US 2 (about 106 miles in the county), ND 1804 (about 72 miles in the county), US 85 (about 62 miles in the county), ND 50 (about 56 miles in the county), ND 40 (about 18 miles in the county) and ND 6 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Williston, Tioga, Ray, Grenora, Alamo, Epping, Springbrook, Wildrose and 4 more.
How do the counties around Williams compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke | 33,891 | 150 | 528 | 51,123 |
| Divide | 25,270 | 127 | 1,762 | 31,679 |
| McKenzie | 9,525 | 21 | 18,092 | 621,251 |
| Mountrail | 15,528 | 48 | 5,055 | 111,672 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Williams County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 71 tracts centered in Williams County, covering 16,874 acres inside the county line. PLOTS is private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting; NDGF's PLOTS Guide shows each tract and its rules.
Are there wildlife management areas in Williams County?
Yes, 8: Trenton (4,904 acres), Hofflund (1,500 acres), McGregor Dam (194 acres), Dry Fork (161 acres), Kerr Slough (89 acres) and Blue Ridge (85 acres), and 2 more.
Which deer units are in Williams County?
Unit 3A1 (62.8% of the county) and unit 3B1 (37.2% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Williams County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 38,223 acres as open and 159 acres as closed in Williams County. Its map shows each tract's status.
Get a North Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for North Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, North Dakota included.
Where these numbers come from
- PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land); NDGF PLOTS Guide map (2026).
- Units and lottery: NDGF hunting unit maps; NDGF deer lottery statistics.
- County line, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 boundaries, TIGER/Line and Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. PLOTS tracts change each year; check NDGF's current PLOTS Guide before you go.
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